Israel Marks Solemn Milestone as Final Hostage's Remains Return After 843 Days
Israel is observing the end of a deeply painful chapter following the return of the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza. This event concludes more than two years of war and grief that have gripped the nation since the devastating attacks in October 2023.
A Nation's Grief and Relief
For over two years, Israelis displayed yellow ribbons on their lapels and gathered regularly to remember the hostages abducted during the deadliest day in the country's history. In a symbolic gesture marking the closure of this agonising period, citizens removed their ribbons and deactivated a clock in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square on Tuesday. This clock had been meticulously tracking the duration of the hostages' captivity, finally stopping at 843 days, 12 hours, 5 minutes, and 59 seconds.
The return of Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer killed while combating Hamas militants during the October 7, 2023, assault on Israel, fulfilled nationwide hopes to repatriate all hostages, whether living or deceased. Before the country could commemorate him and ahead of his funeral scheduled for Wednesday, forensic teams undertook a meticulous operation in a northern Gaza cemetery. They worked tirelessly to locate, exhume, and identify his remains as part of a comprehensive effort involving search teams, intelligence officers, and forensic dentists.
Ceasefire Agreements and Sticking Points
The October 2025 ceasefire mandated Hamas to return 20 living hostages and the remains of 28 deceased individuals during the initial phase of the agreement. While the living hostages and the remains of four deceased were handed over on the day the ceasefire took effect, efforts to recover additional remains became a contentious issue. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu linked the reopening of the Rafah border crossing in Gaza's southernmost city to the return of these remains. Under the terms of the accord, Israel committed to returning the remains of 15 Palestinians in its custody for each Israeli body recovered.
A spokesman for the Shin Bet, Israel's domestic security service, revealed that investigators achieved a breakthrough after interrogating a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. This individual's information helped corroborate intelligence that ultimately led to the discovery of Gvili's remains, which had been moved multiple times. A military official, speaking anonymously under army protocol, stated, "More than 20 dentists from the unit worked together for over 24 hours, scanning approximately 250 bodies until the identification of Master Sergeant Ran Gvili."
Public Reaction and Conflicting Narratives
On Tuesday, thousands of people gathered in Hostages Square, watching with a mix of emotions as the clock halted. Some cheered, marking a bittersweet conclusion in a location that had become the epicentre for the campaign to secure the hostages' release. Karen Gafen Solomon, who had been actively involved in the protest movement, expressed, "It's happy and sad; we had been holding out for a miracle, even though all the signs pointed the other way, that he would come back alive, but it's such a relief it's finally over. It has been the most important thing in our lives for the past two years and two months."
However, militant groups in Gaza contested Israel's account of how Gvili's body was found. Both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad asserted that they had provided Israel with information to locate the remains. Saraya al-Quds, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, claimed it shared coordinates through Arab mediators and accused Israel of delaying the search. Hamas also stated it had furnished relevant information.
Humanitarian Concerns and Ongoing Tensions
Palestinians living near the cemetery reported that remains exhumed during the search were left exposed without reburial, a practice that holds profound significance in both Judaism and Islam, religions that emphasise swift burial and respect for bodies. Mohamed Matter, whose relatives are buried in the cemetery, lamented, "Our dead are in the open. They left them without burial or after just covering them with soil." He and others attempted to access the area on Tuesday but were reportedly turned away by Israeli forces. Hospital officials noted that two individuals were killed in an Israeli drone strike while trying to reach the area and were pronounced dead at Shifa Hospital, though Israel's military said it was unaware of such strikes and cautioned against relying on unverified reports.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassam criticised Israeli forces for exhuming "hundreds of graves," describing it as a pattern of disrespect. Meanwhile, in Gaza, families sheltering in tents without fuel for heat expressed scepticism about improvements under the ceasefire. Ali Abu Al-Eish, a former resident of Rafah, questioned, "The crossing is supposed to open now after the last soldier's body was found. Why is it still closed? We have many sick people here. Things should be better than this. Enough." Ayda Abu Dheisha echoed frustrations, asking, "Why are Hamas and Israel stalling? Let them reach an agreement and resolve this for us. We want to return to our land and our homes."
Unresolved Issues and Future Challenges
Israeli officials have indicated that the Rafah crossing is expected to reopen in a limited capacity following Gvili's return, initially allowing only people, not goods, to pass. However, details remain scarce regarding eligibility for passage and whether departures will be restricted to medical evacuees. The timing for aid entry from Egypt is also unclear. Neither side withdrew from the four-month-old ceasefire during its initial phase, as international mediators urged Israel and Hamas toward subsequent steps, which are anticipated to be more complex. These include demilitarising the strip after nearly two decades of Hamas rule.
President Donald Trump's 20-point plan, published in October, left major questions unanswered about the ceasefire's next phase. Key uncertainties involve when Israel might permit the Palestinian technocratic committee meeting in Cairo to enter Gaza, when Israeli forces might withdraw from currently controlled areas to allow displaced Palestinians to return, how any new governing arrangement would be enforced and monitored, and what conditions must be met before large-scale reconstruction can commence.
Gaza's Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-led government and viewed as generally reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts, has recorded 488 fatalities since the ceasefire began. Hospitals and the ministry continue to report new deaths nearly daily, though the pace has slowed since the ceasefire, bringing the total death toll to 71,662 as of Tuesday. The ministry also stated that approximately 20,000 Palestinians require medical evacuation from Gaza, with departures to Egypt expected to be among the first movements permitted through the Rafah crossing.
